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Struggling with the Truth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY January 27, 2008 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no

Message 1 of 10
, Jan 31, 2008

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTES FROM THE VALLEY
January 27, 2008

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are with me." Psalm 23.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seems "religion" is becoming an ever more popular topic of
discussion among politicians and the stars of movies and television
these days. But, invariably, when their conversations turn to
matters of faith, there's a glaring omission in their professions.
They firmly believe that "good" people who live "good" lives, loving
and caring for others, are going to get into heaven. As if to
validate their beliefs, a growing number of them are very active and
vocal in charitable endeavors. But you seldom, if ever, hear any of
them mention Jesus. It seems very few of them have any room for Him
in their varied systems of belief.

The fact is, this questioning, or at least omitting of the New
Testament doctrine of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
seems to be spreading. The words vary, but the central theme
remains, "How can God (at least the one Christians worship) say He is
love and then condemn so many people to Hell on a technicality?
Isn't that just plain hypocritical!" I don't doubt that some of you
may have heard similar statements from friends or relatives and are
struggling to give an answer. We've struggled to give those we love
an answer too. What follows are the results of that struggle,
prefaced by three things God set as the anchor points for His
response:

(1). God loves all of us, with a love that knows no
boundaries in space or time.

(2). His heart aches that we are struggling with His truth.
And,

(3). His desire, absolute and unchanging, is that NONE of us
should perish.

God's will for His children was the Garden of Eden. Children created
in His image and likeness so the God who is love could pour out that
love on them. Children who loved the Father in return as an act of
their free will. Children unblemished by sin who could walk with Him
in the Garden and talk about the wonders they discovered and enjoyed
each day; the wonders He had created for them.

But because of the deception of Satan, a serpent talked, a woman ate,
and man made a choice. He chose to follow Eve rather than be
separated from her by sin. Instead of standing on the authority he'd
been given by God, which included the serpent and the sin, he bowed
his knee to sin and gave his authority away.

The loving God wanted to spend time with His kids in the Garden. But
the just God knew that He could not. He had given them dominion and
they had made a choice. Now the price of that choice had to be
paid. Separation from Him and death. Not God's will - man's
choice. But God loved us so much that He wasn't ready to let go of
us so easily. He issued a promise at the instant of man's fall, to
man and the devil, that He would recover that which was lost through
the seed of a woman. A just God required that the price for sin be
paid. A loving God provided the one who could pay that price in full
for us all. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the seed of a
woman, became the fulfillment of that "seed" promise on the cross at
Calvary. A free gift given for us and to all of us.

Which brings us back to our beginning - man's free will and OUR
choice. Do we accept the gift? Do we accept the sacrifice that was
made for us on the cross at Calvary and the one who was that
sacrifice? Or would we rather pay the price for our sin ourselves?
The price is death. It's the law. It was the law in the Garden of
Eden and it is the law today. And there aren't enough good deeds and
kind gestures in any person's life that can equal the price of that
payment. God knew that. Jesus knew that. They made their choice.
Christ died on the cross and suffered three days in the grave to pay
the debt in full. So now the choice is up to us..

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent hissed "obedience or knowledge?"
Man responded "knowledge."

Now, in men's hearts, God is whispering, "life or death, heaven or
hell?"

The father of lies and prince of this world argues that such a
question is an unreasonable threat. I'm always amazed that people
could actually buy into such warped logic. Can that which was
created now turn and begin questioning the wisdom of the Creator?
Can the clay pot question the skill of the Potter's hands? Of course
not. But rather than the righteous anger we deserve, God the Father
and the Prince of Peace respond by reminding us that it's not a
threat, but an invitation sealed with their love and none who accept
it will be lost. The sole criteria for where you will spend eternity
is the response you give to that invitation. God has made His
choice. What's yours?

Sheltered under His wing and overwhelmed by His love,
Steve

WHO'LL TAKE THE SON ?
(Author Unknown)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They
had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They
would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the
Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The
father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the
door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his
hands. He said,"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for
whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was
carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he
died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.
The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not
really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to
have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted
by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had
captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was
so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He
thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh,
no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors
came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before
he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of
his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing
the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for
their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The
auctioneer pounded his gavel.

"We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will
bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We
want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting?
Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting..
We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real
bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take
the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the
painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the
son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for
$10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the
collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told
of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal
that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would
be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire
estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets
everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like
the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take
the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

SOME FINAL WORDS

"Our destiny is not determined for us, but it is determined by us.
Man's free will is part of God's sovereign will. We have freedom to
take which course we choose, but not freedom to determine the end of
that choice." Oswald Chambers

"Whoever is on God's side is on the winning side and cannot lose;
whoever is on the other side is on the losing side and cannot win.
Here there is no chance, no gamble. There is freedom to choose which
side we shall be on but no freedom to negotiate the results of the
choice once it is made. By the mercy of God we may repent a wrong
choice and alter the consequences by making a new and right choice.
Beyond that we cannot go." A. W. Tozer

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I
have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose
life, so that you and your children may live" Deuteronomy 30:19

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY January 25, 2009 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no

Message 2 of 10
, Jan 23, 2009

0 Attachment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTES FROM THE VALLEY
January 25, 2009

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are with me." Psalm 23.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STRUGGLING WITH THE TRUTH

It seems "religion" is becoming an ever more popular topic of
discussion among politicians and the stars of movies and television
these days. But, invariably, when their conversations turn to
matters of faith, there's a glaring omission in their professions.
They firmly believe that "good" people who live "good" lives, loving
and caring for others, are going to get into heaven. As if to
validate their beliefs, a growing number of them are very active and
vocal in charitable endeavors. But you seldom, if ever, hear any of
them mention Jesus. It seems very few of them have any room for Him
in their varied systems of belief.

The fact is, this questioning, or at least omitting of the New
Testament doctrine of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
seems to be spreading. The words vary, but the central theme
remains, "How can God (at least the one Christians worship) say He is
love and then condemn so many people to Hell on a technicality?
Isn't that just plain hypocritical!" I don't doubt that some of you
may have heard similar statements from friends or relatives and are
struggling to give an answer. We've struggled to give those we love
an answer too. What follows are the results of that struggle,
prefaced by three things God set as the anchor points for His
response:

(1). God loves all of us, with a love that knows no boundaries in
space or time.
(2). His heart aches that we are struggling with His truth. And,
(3). His desire, absolute and unchanging, is that NONE of us should
perish.

God's will for His children was the Garden of Eden. Children created
in His image and likeness so the God who is love could pour out that
love on them. Children who loved the Father in return as an act of
their free will. Children unblemished by sin who could walk with Him
in the Garden and talk about the wonders they discovered and enjoyed
each day; the wonders He had created for them. But because of the
deception of Satan, a serpent talked, a woman ate, and man made a
choice. He chose to follow Eve rather than be separated from her by
sin. Instead of standing on the authority he'd been given by God,
which included the serpent and the sin, he bowed his knee to sin and
gave his authority away.

The loving God wanted to spend time with His kids in the Garden. But
the just God knew that He could not. He had given them dominion and
they had made a choice. Now the price of that choice had to be
paid. Separation from Him and death. Not God's will - man's
choice. But God loved us so much that He wasn't ready to let go of
us so easily. He issued a promise at the instant of man's fall, to
man and the devil, that He would recover that which was lost through
the seed of a woman. A just God required that the price for sin be
paid. A loving God provided the one who could pay that price in full
for us all. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the seed of a
woman, became the fulfillment of that "seed" promise on the cross at
Calvary. A free gift given for us and to all of us.

Which brings us back to our beginning - man's free will and OUR
choice. Do we accept the gift? Do we accept the sacrifice that was
made for us on the cross at Calvary and the one who was that
sacrifice? Or would we rather pay the price for our sin ourselves?
The price is death. It's the law. It was the law in the Garden of
Eden and it is the law today. And there aren't enough good deeds and
kind gestures in any person's life that can equal the price of that
payment. God knew that. Jesus knew that. They made their choice.
Christ died on the cross and suffered three days in the grave to pay
the debt in full. So now the choice is up to us..

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent hissed "obedience or knowledge?"
Man responded "knowledge."

Now, in men's hearts, God is whispering, "life or death, heaven or
hell?" The father of lies and prince of this world argues that such
a question is an unreasonable threat. I'm always amazed that people
could actually buy into such warped logic. Can that which was
created now turn and begin questioning the wisdom of the Creator?
Can the clay pot question the skill of the Potter's hands? Of course
not. But rather than the righteous anger we deserve, God the Father
and the Prince of Peace respond by reminding us that it's not a
threat, but an invitation sealed with their love and none who accept
it will be lost. The sole criteria for where you will spend eternity
is the response you give to that invitation. God has made His
choice. What's yours?

Sheltered under His wing and overwhelmed by His love,
Steve

WHO WILL TAKE THE SON ?
(Author Unknown)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They
had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They
would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the
Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The
father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the
door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his
hands. He said,"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for
whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was
carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he
died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.
The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not
really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to
have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted
by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had
captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was
so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He
thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh,
no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors
came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before
he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of
his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing
the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for
their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The
auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this
picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We
want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting?
Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting..
We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real
bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take
the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the
painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the
son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for
$10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the
collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told
of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal
that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would
be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire
estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets
everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like
the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take
the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

SOME FINAL WORDS

"Our destiny is not determined for us, but it is determined by us.
Man's free will is part of God's sovereign will. We have freedom to
take which course we choose, but not freedom to determine the end of
that choice." Oswald Chambers

"Whoever is on God's side is on the winning side and cannot lose;
whoever is on the other side is on the losing side and cannot win.
Here there is no chance, no gamble. There is freedom to choose which
side we shall be on but no freedom to negotiate the results of the
choice once it is made. By the mercy of God we may repent a wrong
choice and alter the consequences by making a new and right choice.
Beyond that we cannot go." A. W. Tozer

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I
have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose
life, so that you and your children may live" Deuteronomy 30:19

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY January 24, 2010 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no

Message 3 of 10
, Jan 26, 2010

0 Attachment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTES FROM THE VALLEY
January 24, 2010

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are with me." Psalm 23.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STRUGGLING WITH THE TRUTH

It seems "religion" is becoming an ever more popular topic of discussion among politicians and the stars of movies and television these days. But, invariably, when their conversations turn to matters of faith, there's a glaring omission in their professions. They firmly believe that "good" people who live "good" lives, loving and caring for others, are going to get into heaven. As if to validate their beliefs, a growing number of them are very active and vocal in charitable endeavors. But you seldom, if ever, hear any of them mention Jesus. It seems very few of them have any room for Him in their varied systems of belief. And if one of them does mention Jesus, they are subjected to the worst kind of name calling and criticism (as witnessed when Brit Hume expressed his faith views on Fox News just last week).

The fact is, this questioning, or at least omitting of the New Testament doctrine of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ seems to be spreading. The words vary, but the central theme remains, "How can God (at least the one Christians worship) say He is love and then condemn so many people to Hell on a technicality? Isn't that just plain hypocritical!" I don't doubt that some of you may have heard similar statements from friends or relatives and are struggling to give an answer. We've struggled to give those we love an answer too. What follows are the results of that struggle, prefaced by three things God set as the anchor points for His response:

(1). God loves all of us, with a love that knows no boundaries in space or time.
(2). His heart aches that we are struggling with His truth. And,
(3). His desire, absolute and unchanging, is that NONE of us should perish.

God's will for His children was the Garden of Eden. Children created in His image and likeness so the God who is love could pour out that love on them. Children who loved the Father in return as an act of their free will. Children unblemished by sin who could walk with Him in the Garden and talk about the wonders they discovered and enjoyed each day; the wonders He had created for them.

But because of the deception of Satan, a serpent talked, a woman ate, and man made a choice. He chose to follow Eve rather than be separated from her by sin. Instead of standing on the authority he'd been given by God, which included the serpent and the sin, he bowed his knee to sin and gave his authority away.

The loving God wanted to spend time with His kids in the Garden. But the just God knew that He could not. He had given them dominion and they had made a choice. Now the price of that choice had to be paid. Separation from Him and death. Not God's will - man's choice. But God loved us so much that He wasn't ready to let go of us so easily. He issued a promise at the instant of man's fall, to man and the devil, that He would recover that which was lost through the seed of a woman. A just God required that the price for sin be paid. A loving God provided the one who could pay that price in full for us all. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the seed of a woman, became the fulfillment of that "seed" promise on the cross at Calvary. A free gift given for us and to all of us.

Which brings us back to our beginning - man's free will and OUR choice. Do we accept the gift? Do we accept the sacrifice that was made for us on the cross at Calvary and the one who was that sacrifice? Or would we rather pay the price for our sin ourselves? The price is death. It's the law. It was the law in the Garden of Eden and it is the law today. And there aren't enough good deeds and kind gestures in any person's life that can equal the price of that payment. God knew that. Jesus knew that. They made their choice. Christ died on the cross and suffered three days in the grave to pay the debt in full. So now the choice is up to us..

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent hissed "obedience or knowledge?" Man responded "knowledge."

Now, in men's hearts, God is whispering, "life or death, heaven or hell?" The father of lies and prince of this world argues that such a question is an unreasonable threat. I'm always amazed that people could actually buy into such warped logic. Can that which was created now turn and begin questioning the wisdom of the Creator? Can the clay pot question the skill of the Potter's hands? Of course not. But rather than the righteous anger we deserve, God the Father and the Prince of Peace respond by reminding us that it's not a threat, but an invitation sealed with their love and none who accept it will be lost. The sole criteria for where you will spend eternity is the response you give to that invitation. God has made His choice. What's yours?

Sheltered under His wing and overwhelmed by His love,
Steve

Who'll Take the Son?
(Author Unknown)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said,"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art. The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Some Final Words

"Our destiny is not determined for us, but it is determined by us. Man's free will is part of God's sovereign will. We have freedom to take which course we choose, but not freedom to determine the end of that choice." Oswald Chambers

"Whoever is on God's side is on the winning side and cannot lose; whoever is on the other side is on the losing side and cannot win. Here there is no chance, no gamble. There is freedom to choose which side we shall be on but no freedom to negotiate the results of the choice once it is made. By the mercy of God we may repent a wrong choice and alter the consequences by making a new and right choice. Beyond that we cannot go." A. W. Tozer

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" Deuteronomy 30:19